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About TKDDaughter
I am a 30-something mom who lives in Western Pennsylvania with my 3 year old son, my 30-something husband, and our two very fat, very lazy cats. We are working on restoring a 125 year old Queen Anne Victorian home to its original splendor…if only we had the money to do it! My husband does all of his own work, so the process is slow going.
I attended a small liberal arts college where I majored in both English and Theatre with great aspirations of someday winning a Tony Award. Once reality set in and I realized my talent was only as good as a community theater regular, I began to pursue ways to finance my life.
I worked in retail management for far more years than I would like to admit while working on two Masters degrees-one in Literature, one in Secondary Education. Retail provided me the foundation for every other job to come and gave me richer experience than any other job since. I applaud those who continue retail careers-it’s a tough job. So, dear readers, be kind to retail employees-chances are, someone was just really rude to them!
Upon finishing my graduate degrees, I began my calling as an English teacher at a small, private Catholic high school. I love my students, I love my colleagues (most of the time), and I love curriculum. Now if only the administration could get a clue…
I took a year off when I had my son and worked from my home as sales assistant for a major bra company. I despised every bloody second of it, but it allowed me to stay at home with my son during his first year and a half. Why I thought I would enjoy working with numbers all day is beyond me-I am a words kind of girl!
While on my year sabbatical, I also began a new phase of my teaching career working for a cyber charter school. I remain at both teaching jobs part-time now and love them both equally. They are drastically different, but equally challenging!
Besides being a mom, wife and teacher, I am addicted to stamping and scrapbooking and all things crafty. I am trying my hand at knitting and crocheting, but I’m not sure if I have the talent for it. I have a background in theater and while I don’t get to work in the theater anymore, I still enjoy seeing plays and musicals. I am always reading many books at the same time, most for pleasure, some for my job. I love Jane Austen and Shakespeare and Ian McEwan.
Unlike the other reviewers for this site, my only link to the martial arts is my father, a 3rd degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do (which he earned in his late 50’s!) who desperately tried to get me interested, but was too annoyed after my constant giggling as he tried to teach me techniques. I am, however, tremendously proud of him as he continues his training at his late 60’s.
Likes: Hearing my son laugh, potato chips, cheese, peanut butter cups, dark chocolate, classy people, a great novel, seeing my students master a skill
Dislikes: Seeing my son upset, rude people, lazy people, melons of any kind (I know…weird…), bad acting
You can read even more about me at "Renovation Girl."
Email TKDDaughter.
About TSDAdam
I’m a 30 year old (I prefer the terms twenty-ten or twenteen to be honest, I’m sure you’re meant to feel more grown up at this age) married man from Cornwall, in the very South-West tip of the UK where I live with my wife, two cats and our new pup.
When I’m not working in my current role as a Project Officer, I like to read, socialise, play games, and most of all – my all-cosuming passion – martial arts. In my case, the martial art of choice is Tang Soo Do, which is essentially Korean Karate. After nearly two years of training I’m currently at 5th Gup (or Kyu for fans of the Japanese/Okinawan styles), working hard and horribly addicted! I started for several reasons, most notably a desire to get fit again and lose weight, but also because it was always one of those things I always wanted to do, but never got around to. Now I train because I can’t imagine my life without it. My interest has also led me to doing a lot of my own reading and research into the history of the art I’m learning and its predecessors.
As mentioned above, one of my interests is games, or more specifically video games. I’ve been playing with computers and games consoles for as long as I can remember, and over the last few years I’ve taken the step to try to enthuse others in the same way I have been, by turning my hand to penning some reviews. I write reviews and articles for the UK-based, import-centric ntsc-uk.com, so it seemed like a natural progression for me then to combine my interest in writing/reviewing with my newfound love of martial arts. So here I am!
Likes: Peanut butter, Autumn, taking a good hit in sparring.
Dislikes: Egos, poor spelling, narrow-mindedness.
If I’ve a few minutes spare to myself, I also keep my blog updated when I have something to write about. You can see for yourself how my leaky sponge of a brain works here
at Adam’s Cerebral Spillage.
Email TSDAdam.
About Ikigai108
I am a Sandan in Okinawa Kenpo Karate and Okinawa Kenpo Kobudo of the Heilman, Odo, Nakamura lineage. I have been training for twelve years and teaching for seven. I have also been studying Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu (Miura line) for three years.
The martial arts have long been a way of life for me, and I have gone through many different phases of my training (as most martial artists do). I went to tournaments for awhile and collected some shiny plastic. I learned high ranking kata, assuming they had super death-touch secrets that I needed to unlock (unlike those silly ‘beginner katas’). I watched Bruce Lee movies in awe and admiration…and the list goes on.
That’s all fun stuff, but eventually (thankfully) I found a better balance in my training. I have come into contact with some amazing teachers and continue to grow and learn so as to live up to their standard of excellence. Training has become a personal journey for me through which I endeavor to carve away all the imperfections in my technique, spirit, and character (which is why they call the martial arts a lifetime occupation!)
I decided to write reviews in the martial arts due to my academic background. I graduated from Penn State University with a BA in Professional Writing. Over the years I have published in several different venues, such as Blur (Creative Nonfiction anthology), Penn State Collegian Newspaper, Nolde Forest Outreach (public relations package), Woven With Words (published book), and hopefully in the near future, Masters Magazine. Writing about the martial arts has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, so I decided to put that energy to good use and offer up some reviews.
I work in writing and marketing full-time at Classic Wines, an online resource for wine ratings, wine prices, and wine reviews.
Likes: reading & writing (but not so much rithmatic), feeling that ahh-ha! moment in the martial arts, comedy shows on tv, browsing youtube.
Dislikes: puffy chested martial artists of any style, closed minds, dishonesty, reality tv, stories that end with ‘you had to be there.’
On a final note, for those who are curious and hung in there through my bio, I chose the name “Ikigai” because it is a term that I consider significant. It roughly means ‘that which makes your life worth living,’ but it’s a very slippery and thought-inducing concept. Look into it if you’ve got a slow day at the office or something; use that google all the kids talk about these days.
Email Ikigai 108.
About Black Belt Mama
Filed under: Uncategorized
“Most karate moms just do the commute; this one is working towards her black belt.”
I am a 30-something forever 29 year old stay at home mother. I stay at home with my two daughters: “Big I” who is seven years old. . .
. . . and “Lil C” who is three years old.
I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in English Writing, Creative Nonfiction. I met my husband my sophomore year, fell in love with him when he let me borrow his laundry detergent, and married him shortly after graduation.
Then. . .
Now. . . (Notice one of us is getting all salt-n-pepa-ish; the other is not. He’s living with three girls so that probably explains it.)
I worked for a small literary journal as an Assistant Editor, then at Clinique cosmetics (because the pay was better), and then at a graphic design firm as an “Administrative and Marketing Assistant” which is just a fancy name for copy girl, xerox pro, or otherwise just plain old lackey. I was supposed to be a writer, but somehow got the desk where I answered all the phones, filed all the folders, and mostly just retrieved muffins and coffee creamer. I did, however, write a corporate identity manual and an insurance brochure. Zzzzz, Zzzzz. I did learn lots of things while working there though, but mostly how to swallow my pride.
When I got sick of that (a very short time later), I went to Duquesne University where I earned my M.S.Ed. in 11 months, and accumulated so much student loan debt that it’s just plain ridiculous considering I taught high school English for not even two years and then decided my true calling was diapers and picky eaters.
I went on maternity leave, had my first daughter in 2001, and never looked back.
We sold our house; and my husband switched careers so that I would be able to stay home with my baby girl. By home, I literally mean home, as in we moved in with my parents for a year. Then, we moved to NJ. Then we moved back to my hometown.
In October 2005, I gave birth to our second daughter after a long wait to get her on her way. I wanted everything to be natural, and planned a birth center birth. Then I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and everything got turned upside down. I did have a midwife deliver her; and that was truly awesome.
I now work from home (in my spare time) as a part time logistics recruiter and as an adjunct instructor at a local university. My husband sometimes works from home too. Because of this, our neighbors probably think that:
A. We are independently wealthy.
B. Pajamas are the new ‘business casual.’
C. Our house will be foreclosed on momentarily.
None of these are true. Well, except for B., maybe.
I’ve learned that no matter how many legitimate part time/work from home jobs you have, your Dad will probably still tell people you’re “unemployed.” I’ve learned to live with it.
I am trying to raise my girls to be smart, strong women. I am a 1st kyu brown belt in both Okinawan Kenpo and Kobudo. Did I mention it’s a family affair? (I didn’t just mean “strong” in the figurative sense.) Big I started karate when she was three and is now (and will be for quite some time) a 7th kyu. Lil C will probably know how to snap kick before she’s potty trained (she already knows how to kiai better than I do). And I was a little late on the draw, starting when I was 29 (Yeah, I realize the math doesn’t make sense with the whole “forever 29” statement in the beginning, but just work with me here).
I’ve realized that it’s never too late to learn something new. You just have to be willing to face the fact that the 14 year old you take class with who has been there since she was three is 100% capable of kicking your butt.
I started writing my original blog “Black Belt Mama” in 2006 to document my journey in the martial arts. I had no idea how many detours my journey would take. I was looking forward to testing for Shodan in February of 2008, but then I tore my ACL while sparring in October 2007. I had ACL reconstruction surgery in December 2007, and have been using my fabulous sense of humor to get me through surgery, recovery, and many frustrating days of pain-med-induced constipation physical therapy.
I love: reading a good book, playing fantasy football (damn you LaDainian Tomlinson), going on vacations, writing, and nailing a new kata.
I can’t stand: litter butts, irresponsible dog owners, people with no reading comprehension skills, folding laundry, liars, and bad table manners.
My writing credits include articles/reviews published in the following publications: “Pittsburgh Tribune Review,” “Transport Topics,” “Bridges” (NCTE Publication), “English Leadership Quarterly,” and in the book “At Issue: Date Rape.” My original blog has been syndicated by my hometown newspaper’s website, and through BlogBurst on “The Houston Chronicle,” “The Chicago Sun Times,” “Austin-American Statesman,” USAToday.com, Reuters.com, “The Sacramento Bee,” and multiple IBS news service websites. “The BBM Review” is starting to get picked up too as of late. Not that you should care about this, mentioning it just makes me feel more important.
I think that about covers it.
If you have something nice to say, please leave me a comment, write me an email, or link to my sites with reckless abandon. If not, no one is forcing you to read this, so get lost.
No, seriously.
Email Black Belt Mama.
Ultimate Sauna Suit
I’m not a sweater. Of course, by that I mean I don’t sweat easily (also, I’m not a warm, woolen garment). But recently I tried out the Ultimate Sauna Suit (by Realsauna at Karate Depot) and it put me through my paces.
The Sauna Suit is an interesting development in workout technology. You’ve probably heard of this sort of training aid before, but what you usually see is a shiny spaceman outfit – 
http://www.karatedepot.com/ae-ss-12.html
The point of this getup is to capture all of the bodies evaporating water and enhance the dehydration process; the result being a quick loss in water weight. Furthermore, the suit locks in body heat, helping keep muscles warm for extended workouts or flexibility training.
I was skeptical of the Ultimate Sauna Suit at first because, like I said, it takes a real harsh workout to get me gushing. I doubted that an article of clothing could make it happen without doing a ton of exercise. Also, the suit looked like casual Adidas warmups, nothing particularly space-age – 
http://www.karatedepot.com/ae-ss-16.html
What I didn’t notice (until I put it on) was the strange inner lining. It’s like a soft plastic that reminded me of the material used for rain slicks, but less stiff. 
The lining took some getting used to at first because it felt unusual against my skin, and crinkled a little when I walked. But after about 5-10 minutes, I was completely adjusted.
I decided to begin my test workout with a little walk. I didn’t expect much, but figured it would help me warm up for more serious exercise afterward. To my surprise, by then end of about a mile, my legs and arms were quite slick.
After the walk I trained on the Johhny Sockitomee bag. I even put my hood up for awhile because a lot of heat escapes through the head. In minutes, maybe 10-15, I was a sweat machine. I won’t go into detailed elaboration, but believe me when I say I hadn’t sweat that much since my last karate test. My original intention was to do some weight lifting after training on the bag, but I decided to call it quits. I realized a little discretion and responsibility is needed when losing that much hydration that quickly.
The brass tax of the Sauna Suit is this – you wouldn’t wear it all the time for comfort, but it has a very nice design and delivers in functionality. Therefore –
Ikigai108 gives the Ultimate Sauna Suit…
Getting Rave Reviews
BlogHer Review
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